Because we have the courage to speak of our despair, the world becomes more vivid. Precisely because we speak it, we don’t stay there. Because that despair is the covering of our love for our world. And we crack it open, by speaking it, so the love can act.

I’m not going to try to tell you where to focus your energy. But I will say this, if your choice is being motivated by a fear of despair, if you are fighting down a feeling of hopelessness, consider letting yourself feel it. Really feel it. Trust that there is wisdom in all of our feelings, even the dark ones, maybe especially the dark ones. And see where it takes you.

All honest environmental activists will feel despair at some point. The solution isn’t to run from it, or repress it, or deny it. There’s only one way to deal with despair, and that’s to go though it. We have to feel our feelings. Despair can be a teacher. It can lead us to a greater wholeness, more compassion, and a deeper sense of purpose.

I’m not going to try to tell you where to focus your energy. But I will say this, if your choice is being motivated by a fear of despair, if you are fighting down a feeling of hopelessness, consider letting yourself feel it. Really feel it. Trust that there is wisdom in all of our feelings, even the dark ones, maybe especially the dark ones. And see where it takes you.

The first time I met an anarchist, I think I rolled my eyes. After having learned more about anarchism since, I feel more than a little embarrassed about my earlier eye-rolling. Now I’m the one getting the eye rolls when I tell people I’m an anarchist.

I’m realizing that it’s one thing to believe that industrial civilization is on the decline. But it is another thing to recognize it happening in my own life. And it is another thing altogether to find the wisdom to live through it.

“The only realistic way to make the transition to renewables in industrial countries like the US is to begin reducing overall energy usage substantially, eventually running the economy on a quarter, a fifth, or maybe even a tenth of current energy.”

Grief and disappointment are not separate from care, joy, and enthusiasm. All of these feelings are emotions of engagement with this life. Letting things matter to us. Taking risks. Opening our hearts.